The Mask That Hides The Truth
by Fanfickisara
Summary: There are many things you can hide behind a mask...(I DO NOT OWN TRANSFORMERS PRIME OR ITS CHARACTERS)
1. Chapter 1

The Mask That Hides The Truth chapter 1

_**Shockwave's Personal Experiments and Project Files.**_

**OPEN Library?**

_Loading…_

Project Predacon

Project Vehicon

Project Millennium (VOID)

Project Exodus

Experiment CNA

Experiment Blast

_**OPEN PROJECT VEHICON?**_

_Loading..._

**Project Vehicon file opened.**

Lord Megatron had long ago ordered me to make him an army. Making drones were my first option. I was given very little resources for the project and I had to use my limited resources logically.

I started bringing neutral Cybertronians in (Some would say kidnapped), stripped their paint, preserve their spark and other easily damageable parts (organs, internal workings), melt their frame, pour in into the frame molds, replace the spark/organs/internal workings, add the drone programming I have designed specifically for these drones, delete their memories, repaint their frames, and finally train them.

I have kept some drones to assist me in mass-producing these vehicons. Sadly the drones aren't very durable. The most logical answer is their spark is weak after this transition to vehicons.

The Drone Programming I designed was based off, the very rarely used in these days, slave programming. The drones cannot speak unless spoken to, cannot disrespect or backtalk or lie to an higher-up's face, and cannot abandon their post/The Decepticon Cause. Unless they have specific permission from a higher-up.

This almost insures complete obedience and submission. Intensive training is required to reinforce their new loyalty and goals. The Decepticon Cause.

Of course it will take so long before the sharp increase of the missing will go unnoticed.

I have learned the Memory Wipe is not 100% and sometimes memories will resurface. Sometimes it causes damage to the processor, such as but not limited to regurgitating, forgetfulness, seizures, and other minor/mild and (very few) major side effects. I added two very small panels to release regurgitated energon, since the vehicons cannot remove their masks.

Speaking of the masks, as I stated before, it cannot be removed. The vehicons must refuel though their medical port in their arm.

The training of these vehicons are tedious and, due to forgetfulness, almost pointless. They only receive basic training. Their true power lays in their numbers. I believe the reason for this is because of both their former civilian status and the Memory Wipe.

The organization of the drones is like this: All starts with "V" then "M" for miner class. Trooper class is either grounder or flyer. Grounder frames have "GT" and flyer frames have "AT". Then their serial number.

But one thing I consider a failure is that these vechicon drones are liable to develop personalities. Severe discipline and constant work is needed to suppress this. Lord Megatron and other Officers have not stated any grievances against the vehicons, so I am to assume they are preforming their duties well. I rather hate to assume. It makes room for mistakes.

Many Cybertronians would say that morally this is wrong, but looking at it in a logical point of view, the civilians are keeping out of this War and taking resources being useless.

_-Shockwave_


	2. Chapter 2

The Mask That Hides The Truth chapter 2

Vehicon drone V-AT-112112, or Skyfall, as her (That was the gender pronoun the drone preferred, even with her exact same frame as all the other vehicons) friends call her, was having a bad day.

She stomped irritability down the halls. The vehicon turned the corner to find one of the strangest sights she's seen in a very very long time.

Knockout stuck in the wall.

Of course she has heard the rumors. But something about her hated gossip, so she paid no attention.

"What's your problem drone?" An angry voice snapped. The flyer didn't even realize she had been gaping at him stupidly.

"Surprise sir." She was forced to say. Stupid Drone Programming!

"a-are you okay sir?" she added. And then mentally slapped herself in the face.

"Just dandy!" Knockout snapped again sarcastically.

According to the rumors, ugh who knows how accurate those are, he's been there since yesterday late morning. She carefully opened her sub-space to grab an energon container. The flyer liked to have some on-hand for the drones if they need emergency refueling or cannot get their ration. She had to go hungry for a few days but it was a small price to pay for readiness.

His optics widened in anger, defeat, and humiliation. Did he think she was going to drink it here to mock him? The vechicons know what it is like to be mocked so they strive against that. Besides, their programming might not allow that, no one knows. And their too scared to find out.

Then she brought it to his mouth.

"What are you doing?!" He demanded.

"Do you want to starve sir?"

He didn't say anything.

The red medic eagerly (he tried to hide it, but failed miserably.) gulped down the offered fuel. But now he had a question. What did the vehicon want?

The automobile enthusiast waited for the drone to speak again.

"Well?" He finally asked impatiently.

"What sir?"

"What do you want?"

"N-nothing sir! It just that if I was stuck in a wall I would want fuel...May I be excused?"

Knockout stared at the vehicon drone carefully and memorized the ID number on the drone's wing. V-AT-112112.

"Yes."

Skyfall scampered off.

'That was strange.' Knockout thought to himself.

He hasn't really been around the vehicons that much. They were perfectly silent when working except for an occasional "Yes sir!" Or "Yes Officer *insert name here*/Yes Lord Megatron". And despite popular belief the drones were rarely in the Med-Bay.

But this one showed him kindness. That was rare in the Decepticons. But then again, he has been in few very few situations that made him this pitiful. This was very strange. He should've asked why. As far he knew they have never disobeyed a direct order before.

No one really spent time the vehicons. Except for Breakdown... Who would want to? They were just drones. Personality-less. But, according to this conversation, maybe they do. A faulty drone? Or are they all like this? Suddenly the drones became fascinating to Knockout.


	3. Chapter 3

The Mask That Hides The Truth chapter 3

V-AT-416917411, or Katy-P, as her friends call her, was angry.

'Lord' Megatron threw a flyer and a grounder off the ship. And proceeded to order all flyers to chase the prisoner.

He couldn't tell grounders and flyers apart. The vehicon thought the difference between them were apparent enough. She didn't know why she was furious. Megatron has never shown them respect or anything other than...dominance? Would that be the right word? She thought expectation of their loyalty and obedience would be a better explanation of what Megatron felt about them.

He probably knew exactly how Shockwave made us!

Many of the vehicons held onto the desperate hope someone would care, or at least, someone who cared enough to listen to them. The closest they got was with Breakdown. But by the time they felt they trust him he was taken by MECH and they didn't want to impose. Besides, Megatron had little faith in Breakdown after that so even if they would've told him and he reported it, it would've been ignored or they'd think it was a lie. In the early days of Vehicon Drones they would try to report what happened to them. They saw the process done right in front of them, right before they were sent off to training. They would be sent back to Shockwave for insubordination and spreading lies.

Soon they learned two things. One, DO NOT GET SENT BACK TO SHOCKWAVE! And two, no one will believe them.

So they wait.

For Katy-P, that hope she had, that someone will eventually listen, was ruined. Not just her, all the vehicons present at that moment when V-GT-987321, or Angelwing, because of his love for the human TV show Supernatural, transformed into his ground-based vehicle mode. He'll never see the end of his beloved show.

Ever.

A terrifying thought suddenly came foremost in her mind.

This was their life until they die. The truth will never be revealed, no one will care, and this is everything for them until they were put out of their misery. They will be forced to hide behind their mask forever.

That realization hasn't dawned on her. After all this time, she danced around it. Now it was all she could process. She couldn't believe that she had hoped this wasn't true. Truly she must've been an idiot.

There's only so far you can run away.

Sheesh everyone must be right about how 'mindless' they are.

The vehicons like to think they would join the All-Spark. Their sparks were still their original spark, no matter how weak and tampered with they were, it was still their spark!

Her voicebox gave a cracked clicking noise. 'Stop crying!' She ordered herself.

Decepticons don't cry.

'Are you a Decepticon?' She asked herself. Stupid question. The answer was so so agonizingly obvious.

'I don't want to be, but I have no choice. But not even a true Decepticon. A Decepticon cannon fodder.'

None of them did. And they hadn't had any in a very very long time.


	4. Chapter 4

The Mask That Hides The Truth chapter 4

Knockout had to hand it to Starscream, he picked a great time to come crawling back to the Decepticons. Of course the Cortical Psychic Patch went well enough. Well, besides him almost getting scrapped and Dreadwing finding out his twin's true fate. Shame Megatron had to kill him though, he was an excellent at combat.

Now, to the vehicons.

Today he was going to try and observe their behavior when an officer is absent.

The medic felt a bit ridiculous sneaking around. It reminded him when he was still a very young youngling and he wanted to be a cyber-ninja.

He carefully hid himself behind a corner eavesdropping on a group of 5 vehicons.

The medic actually got caught by a different vehicon who was walking up the corner he was hiding behind. The drone looked like he really wanted to ask something but said nothing. The automobile enthusiast was starting to see a pattern. Was it against some protocol to speak when not spoken to? He turned around to continue spying on the drones.

Knockout carefully memorized serial numbers and any unique scratches, dents, and/or scars. He's always been very good at spotting almost non-existent scratches. You needed that skill to look as _fragging awesome_ as he does.

They call each other and themselves by nicknames. It shouldn't be surprising, but strangely enough it was! Maybe it was everyone's thinking that they made no personality and the apparent lack of individualism.

Everyone was wrong. They had personalities. They had interests. For example V-AT-514311161 cheerfully babbled on about something called Miracle Day. You could just hear the capitalization. Human entertainment. *insert mental groan* Knockout had no idea what they were so excitedly talking about.

Apparently the one that was talking about Miracle Day; nickname was Rift. Interesting...

In addition, they have to seem all sorts of juicy gossip. Seriously, the medic just found a, what's the human term? Gold mine? Maybe. An energon mine of gossip.

But they seemed reluctant to share this information with non-vehicon Decepticons.

Blackmail is power and power is meant to be abused, in Knockout's expert opinion. Why do they stay at the bottom?

Look at him. Getting all…fascinated…about drones. But Breakdown liked them…

**Flashback**

_"Why do you hang out with them?" Knockout asked._

"Especially when you could be doing more fun_ things!" he added with a suggestive smirk._

"They're trustworthy. You don't have to worry about one of them stabbing you in the back when you're not looking. They're fun." Breakdown replied.

Knockout grumbled about drones and personality-less but ultimately dropped the subject.

**Flashback ends**

'Look at you getting all sentimental!' he angrily thought. 'Some Decepticon you are!'

Knockout was 100 percent sure there are better things he could be doing his time. But the many things he was, time-waster was among them, well with unimportant matters. Drone-building was a relatively simple and boring process. But drones don't usually have this much personality.

Besides, what else is he suppose to do when he is bored?


	5. Chapter 5

The Mask That Hides The Truth chapter 5

"What is it drone?" Knockout snapped at the vehicon that has been standing there for five human minutes.

"May I please be excused sir?"

"Are you done with your work?"

"No Officer Knockout."

"Then no."

Knockout turned back to his own monitor. He heard the vehicon turn and walk back to his work area. That was strange, in all the time he's been around the vehicons they've never-

**_CRASH!  
_**  
The medic quickly spun around to see the vehicon that just asked permission to leave seizing on the floor.

Seizures were not unheard of on Cybertron but rarely ever happened. Mostly they were filed under 'rare glitches' and he fell into recharge during that lesson back in med-school.

Knockout was surprised at sudden reaction but even more so at the surrounding vehicons' reactions.

The one that was working at the same counsel ran over and grabbed his hand in a comforting gesture. But it wasn't panic-y. The other vehicons' body language said worried but not calm. This happened before. Many times if everyone's reaction was anything to go by.

The seizing only last a few minutes, then when the vehicon was completely still the drone's friend slowly and carefully helped to the other up. He seemed confused and disoriented. Scared when he looked like he wanted to speak but couldn't. Definitely some protocol. He momentarily wondered what other protocols that they had to follow. But that could wait, for now, in favor of figuring out what the slag is going on.

"Is that normal amongst the vehicons?"

"Only among some Officer Knockout. He's perfectly fine sir." The friend said, Knockout carefully looked for their serial number. V-AT-258369147.

258369147 helped the still-disoriented drone back to the console.

"What are you doing?" Knockout demanded. The drone needed a through medical exam, not getting back to work!

"If I recall sir, you told him to get back to work!" The flyer drone said.

For a moment Knockout was stunned.

"_Before_ I knew he would have a seizure!"

The air trooper's wings flared out aggressively. It was the first time he saw aggressiveness in their frame. Especially towards a superior. But then again they never have shown that towards their fellow vechicons.

"It isn't a big deal sir. Only a small price to pay for the betterment and glory of the Decepticons."

The way the drone said that, it was something forcibly pounded into their processors, in was said in a flat tone of voice. Maybe a sarcastic undertone too. But forced. More on that later.

"What causes it?" Knockout finally asked as he shifted his weight on his right leg and put his hands on his hips. He wasn't amused.

And there was a long and very tense pause.

"Processor damage during our creation Officer Knockout."

Knockout wanted to ask more questions. But decided against it. All the vehicons' body language screamed defensive and now isn't the time he is going to get answers. For now.


	6. Chapter 6

_How did he know everyone was screaming?_

_ The vehicon looked around to see cages with...abstract beings inside them. Their forms where somewhere between seen and not seen, like, something in the corner of your eye. They looked scribbled out. Like they were trying to be hidden, not that they needed any help with that. The only part you can relatively see was their face, or lack thereof. _

_The colorless world scared the former Cybertronian. But that doesn't make this world incomparable to his own world._

_ It was silent, but the forms were screaming. The screams and the word drone being repeated over and over grew so loud. Louder. Louder. LOUDER! _

_Suddenly it went from so silent to so noisy so fast. _

_"-Start." _

_"Primus help me-!" _

_"NonoNONONO!" _

_"PLEASE!"_

_ "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" _

_The noises and sights were fuzzy but it definitely could remember the feeling behind those iffy memories. _

_"I want to go back home." The vehicon didn't know who said that but it caused a crushing feeling in it's chest. They wanted to go home. What was home? They have forgotten. Of course they still knew the definition of that four-letter word, but the meaning and emotional attachment was missing. Oh how could they forget something something they wanted (needed) so badly? Or did they at one point have it and somehow lose it? How? _

_The vehicon saw a round red light ahead. _

_"Drone." _

_"Drone." _

_"Drone!" _

_They hated that word. _

_It gave them a forceful reminding of what they were. Thoughtless. Expandable. Unliving. A machine to get a job done and then exposed of. The only untrue statement was they weren't thoughtless. Though, more than sometimes, they wish they were. _

_This life...it made...the vehicons...want...to...SCREAM! _

V-GT-946109473, or Scream, was...well...screaming.

This vehicon was known for nightmares and his closest bunkmate already had his arms around him and rocking him.

A fact only known among vehicons. To their brethren, the vehicons were avid cuddlers. They lost count of all the times they just sat in the Mess Hall and Recharge Quarters cuddling.

They never talked about their darker feelings to each other. It was like 'Don't ask don't tell' and something they avoided talking about like it was Cosmic Rust.

Scream guessed it was just so pointless to talk about. Everyone knew it. Nothing could be done about it. So why bother? But they have had some that fell to suicide.

Maybe that's why they buried themselves in the human entertainment they loved so much

. Life would be so much easier if they were just thoughtless. Shockwave never did anything accidentally. Especially when it comes to the things he's created. He wanted us to be able to think, but not have any choice. But who the frag knows why.

"Will anything be okay for us?" he asked his fellow vehicons. It was such a childish question. He knew the truth. But a small helpless childish part of him begged that it wasn't true. He wanted hope.

Scream despaired at the silence.


	7. Chapter 7

Holy crap guys I'm so sorry! I'll try to do better with updates.

The Mask That Hides The Truth chapter 7

The miners of energon-mine 456 were not pleased with Knockout's surprise visit. Especially since they were caught in the middle of singing Its Time by Imagine Dragons. And no, by the way, he didn't instantly recognize the song!

And the poor miners were surprised he was there at all.

But they seemed to be giving him the silent treatment as he watched them.

One miner had a deformed mask. It was quite obvious someone had used a welder on his face. There were long-cooled drips, in some places the metal caved in, and scorch marks.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

"Ratchet on drugs Officer Knockout." He curtly stated. The miner's body language screamed 'bad mood' and this topic was sensitive.

Drugs?

"Do you mean the synthetic energon?"

"Oh sheesh that's what it was! Nobody ever tells us anything sir!" The sir was forced at the end.

One of the vehicons working beside him slapped him in his arm obviously trying to shut him up.

Oh joy.

This was going to be fun. (Note the sarcasm).

"Creative." Knockout said as he inspected a vehicon's prosthetic leg. It was made from a flat metal that was straight the first couple feet but then curved into a half-oval shape. It loked like those prosthetic legs human runners use. The sitting miner nervously shifted.

"Who did this? Because I would definitely remember doing something like this. Or taking ideas from humans."

The vehicon shifted nervously again.

"V-M-7615109631 Officer Knockout."

Knockout rolled his optics. The miner stiffened in fear. This particular miner has always been jumpy and fearful.

"And what do you call this vehicon?"

Silence.

"Christopher." The miner whispered. Probably hoping the medic didn't hear them.

Knockout nodded. And after a moment opened his mouth to speak again.

"Few bots would refrain from visiting the Med-Bay if they just suffered loss of limbs."

The miner shifted again.

"I thought we weren't allowed sir." They muttered lowly again

Knockout stared at the miner for several minutes.

"What gave you that impression?" He finally asked. He remembered how few vechicons he gets in his Med-Bay.

The vehicon shrugged.

Were they telling the truth?

Another pause.

"So this Christopher is somewhat like your makeshift medic?"

"Yes sir." The miner meekly said. Knockout later found out his nickname was Myc.

Knockout gave a thoughtful noise. "Interesting." The automobile enthusiast remarked.

The vehicons, he discovered, are like the icebergs of this planet. And maybe hiding something dangerous.

Obviously, something about them is not like normal drones. Well besides the fact they developed their own personalities. That is extremely rare in drones. Part of it could be their mysterious creation conditions (all he knew about it was Shockwave made them), when you mass-produce an army there is certainty that there will be glitches. If this is just a glitch, it was one slagging massive one!

Knockout knew they are hiding something. What that something was is a complete mystery to him.


	8. Chapter 8

Writing is hard. 657 words though.

The Mask That Hides The Truth chapter 8

Knockout found himself in the vehicons' quarters after eavesdropping on a small group of them excitedly going on about 'karaoke' and 'Mess Hall'.

The vehicon level was almost at the very bottom of the Warship, but he eventually got there, after getting lost a few times.

The was a main room that dispersed into the recharge chambers, washracks, and cafeteria.

He was pretty sure that painting the walls were against Warship laws.

But here was the main room, painted black, with Cybertron on one side and Earth's solar system in the other. Between the two paintings of the planets were a wide arrange of things. Stars, black holes, supernovas, dust storms, all the space-y sort of stuff.

It was impressive. The detailing left him memorized for several seconds. The walls in the hallways were also painted. The ceiling had lyrics to various human songs and the actual walls were covered were references that Knockout didn't care or want to understand (he worried about the vehicons' sanity when he saw a iridescent cloud and "All hail the Glow Cloud. ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY GLOW CLOUD on one wall).

The Mess Hall was no different, but had mostly those obscure references he didn't understand. And a makeshift stage made of welded together energon containers. It looked sturdy, and it was surrounded by vehicons fiddling with cords.

Against popular belief, the vehicons were quite handy with electronics. And they seemed to setting up a homemade-speaker system.

They were not pleased he was there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Fine. I order all vehicons to go on with their regularly-scheduled activities." Knockout said calmly with a smirk on his face.

The vehicon physically flinched back as if he was stuck.

"Yes sir." The flyer said sounding strained. And angry. He walked off with angry pace.

They tried to cancel their karaoke night because he was there. Tried to give him some bullslag saying their speaker system was broken.

The vehicon went back to a small group of vehicons, who's frames radiated hope, and then fell.

They straightened their frame and announced that 'the show must go on'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each vehicon was given a number. Each song had a number assigned to it. When a vehicon's number was called they sing the song assigned to that number.

Knockout noticed every off-shift vehicon was there. They excitedly talked and laughed. But ignoring him. Good. He carefully watched them.

One laughing vehicon made his way into the makeshift stage. He held another home-made item, a microphone. He announced it was 'time to rock!'.

Very to-the-point.

"48. Burn It Down by Linkin Park."

A vehicon walked to the stage and grabbed the microphone quickly as the music started for the song.

"The cycle repeating! As explosions broke in the sky! All that needed was the one thing I couldn't find. And you were there at the turn waiting to let me know." The vehicon sung. Are they all terrible singers? "We're building it up! To break back down. We're building it up! To burn it down, we can't wait to burn it to the ground!"

Meh, if there one thing you can admire about these squishies were their music.

The vehicon went on for a bit longer. And everyone was so into it. Some were humming along and others were trailing their arms about in a poor excuse of dancing. Including the performer.

"You told me yes, You held me high. And I believed when you told that lie. I played soldier, you played king And struck me down, when I kissed that ring. You lost that right, to hold that crown I built you up, but you let me down. So when you fall, I'll take my turn And fan the flames. As your blazes burn. And you were there at the turn Waiting to let me know."

The chorus and then the song was over.

Like many things about the vehicons, this was going to be interesting.


End file.
